Some months after the promulgation of the Law of 26 January 2024 aimed at ‘controlling immigration and improving integration’, which prompted lively discussion both during the parliamentary debates and when the Constitutional Council struck down some of its provisions, the immigration issue remains a focus of discussion in France. With the June 2024 European elections approaching, this favourite theme of the Extreme Right parties both in France and in many other European countries is regularly highlighted and often exploited politically, even in defiance of actual social and statistical realities. Yet, as immigration specialist Catherine Wihtol de Wenden reminds us, migratory flows are a phenomenon inherent in globalized societies and one that cannot just somehow be ignored. She shows in this article how migration has changed over time and how it is distinctly more regionalized than intercontinental. She also identifies the underlying structural factors in migration, pointing out a number of popular misconceptions, as well as the (demographic, crisis-related etc.) trends that appear set to endure. Lastly, she examines the specific case of the flows between Europe and the Mediterranean regions — the underlying drivers, and the limitations of the rules and agreements currently in force etc. — and warns against an over-polarized view of this migration that would focus too keenly on security concerns, fail to take account of the host country’s socio-economic needs and underestimate the integration-policy tools that are available.
This article is downloadable only in French. It is not available in English.
